Bok centre Andre Esterhuizen cops lengthy ban

Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen has been banned for four matches, following his dangerous tackle, that included head on head contact, during last Saturday’s one-off Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein.

Esterhuizen was initially yellow carded for the second minute tackle on Jose Lima, which forced the Portuguese player off the field with concussion, but following a review by the touchline officials, the card was upgraded to a red.

Despite playing the majority of the match with 14 men (and at times 13 men following yellow cards being dished out to Kurt-Lee Arendse and Quan Horn) the Boks won the game 64-21.

World Rugby announced late on Tuesday that the Bok centre Esterhuizen had been suspended for three matches for the tackle on Lima, subject to him completing the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.

The hearing was undertaken by an Independent Disciplinary Committee chaired by Matthew Weaver KC (England) and joined by former player Jamie Corsi (Wales) and former international referee Valeriu Toma (Romania).

Mitigation

During the hearing Esterhuizen accepted that foul play had occurred and that the offence warranted a red card.

The committee considered the appropriate entry point for the offending and decided that the offence warranted the mandatory mid-end entry point for offending involving contact with the head of six matches.

Having considered the mitigating factors, the committee decided not to award full 50 per cent mitigation to the sanction resulting in a sanction of four matches.

An additional match may be removed from the sanction should the player complete the World Rugby Coaching Intervention for Sanction Mitigation (“CISM”) which applies to foul play involving head contact.

Esterhuizen, who was not included in the Springbok 33-man squad for the Rugby Championship which was announced on Tuesday, will miss the following matches:

1. Sharks v Lions — 27 July
2. Pumas v Sharks — 3 August
3. Sharks v Griquas — 11 August
4. Cheetahs v Sharks — 17 August *

• Subject to the successful completion of the CISM.

Esterhuizen has 48 hours to appeal from receipt of the full written decision.